Hudson Valley Drivers Most Ticketed During Operation Hardhat

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — A New York State Police operation to enforce traffic laws in work zones at the end of April led to far more tickets written in the Hudson Valley than in any other region.

Operation Hardhat supported National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 26-30, state police said.

The enforcement and educational efforts came as New York State continues to experience a rising number of work zone intrusions, including three crashes that injured six highway workers last week, state officials said.

The New York State Thruway Authority released shocking video of an April 19 work zone crash in which no one, astonishingly, was injured. DOT workers weren't so lucky on April 27, when two were hospitalized, one with critical injuries, following a vehicle collision in a work zone along Interstate 87.

Under Operation Hardhat, police officers were in the work zones dressed as highway maintenance workers, to identify motorists distracted by electronic devices while driving, disobeying flagging personnel, speeding through the work zone or violating the state's Move Over Law, which applies to both emergency and maintenance vehicles.

Tickets were written in every region:

• Hudson Valley - 161
• Long Island - 59
• Capital Region - 53
• Central New York - 46
• Southern Tier - 44
• Mohawk Valley - 37
• Western New York - 26
• North Country - 18

"Operation Hardhat is an incredibly effective way to enforce work zone safety and I can't thank our partners in law enforcement enough for the work they are doing to help protect our transportation workers, who each day, face enormous hazards on the job," New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said. "It's imperative that motorists put down their phones, pay attention and drive safely in highway work zones and show our transportation workers the respect they deserve."

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